Songwriters & Tour Riders

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Songwriters & Tour Riders is an Oklahoma music podcast, giving you an inside look at musicians coming from Oklahoma and those just passing through. Join host Matthew Viriyapah as musicians tell stories of recording, touring and living as an artist.

8. Juli

Traindodge

Traindodge's Jason Smith formed the band with bassist Chris Allen and his younger brother Rob Smith in 1996 when the places for a punk band to play in Oklahoma ranged from houses, convenience stores, and bowling alleys. 30 years later, Traindodge has kept chugging along. They released their eighth LP The Alley Parade in 2023 and will be playing Resonant Head in Oklahoma City on Saturday, July 11. Later this fall they will be opening for Chat Pile at Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City. On this episode, Jason Smith talks about the 1990s punk scene in Oklahoma and their album The Alley Parade.
1. Juli

Ramsey Thornton

When Ramsey Thornton graduated college during COVID, he wasn't sure what to do. He just wanted to do something with music. He enrolled into a masters of history program at Oklahoma State University to study the history of the banjo and worked as an intern at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa. But while juggling academics and music, he soon found work playing drums, banjo and guitar for numerous different Oklahoma artists and bands like Ken Pomeroy, Wilderado and Keyland. He released his debut album, I Called It!, in May 2026 and played two sold out shows at Drifters Theater in Tulsa.
3. Apr.

Johnny Mullenax

Johnny Mullenax didn't expect playing a weekly brunch show in Tulsa would help launch his touring career. Now he's playing at festivals and stages across America and Europe. In this episode, Johnny Mullenax talks about starting the bluegrass brunch, touring, and plays his song 'Used to Work For a Living.'
5. März

Clay Street Unit

While Clay Street Unit was formed in Denver, most of their members are transplants, with lead singer Sam Walker originally hailing from Alabama. There, he was in a jam band that covered Phish and Grateful Dead songs. Clay Street Unit’s first album, titled Sin & Squalor, was scheduled for release last year through a Sony label. But, when the label folded and the release of the bluegrass band's album was uncertain, it was just another thing for Sam Walker and the group to weather. In this episode, Sam Walker talks about finally being able to release the album and the mix of influences that make up the sextet's sound.
6. Feb.

Haffway

Sam Westhoff almost quit music and started working at Lowe's. Now, under the moniker Haffway, he's starting his first headlining tour in Tulsa after releasing his album, Wither, last fall. The album purposefully is a roller coaster of highs and lows, reflecting Westhoff's mental health journey, one that took him from a psych ward in September 2024 to the stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville just six months later. In this episode, he talks about moving from Tulsa to Nashville, and the difficulty of releasing his album Wither.
23. Jan.

Horton Records President Brian Horton

Horton Records has been a home for what president Brian Horton estimated to be more than 150 different artist releases. But he has always thought the label's goal was not just to release music, but have music connect the community. That's the plan for this weekend's Horton Fest, celebrating 20 years since the label began. Over the weekend, Horton Fest will bring together Tulsa musicians and others Horton considers friends of the scene. In this episode, he talks about how they've made it 20 years as an independent label that only releases Oklahoma music, the evolution of the Tulsa music scene and what he hopes the future looks like.
9. Jan.

Cheyenne

It’s been 20 years since Oklahoma band Cheyenne’s first album “I Am Haunted, I Am Alive” was released and singer Beau Jennings is bringing the band back together to play through it. At the time, Jennings was graduating college and unsure of where his life would take him. On this episode, he reflected on the album and reconnecting to songs written by a younger him and the decades since.
05.12.2025

Lance Roark

Lance Roark was singing at an open mic at a bar in Tahlequah one night, where RC Edwards — bassist for the then-on hiatus Turnpike Troubadours — was in the audience. With Turnpike on hiatus at the time, Edwards asked Roark to join his Americana rock band, RC & the Ambers. When Turnpike returned to the studio in 2022, Roark joined Edwards to co-write the song "Chipping Mill." Now as a solo artist, the Gore-native and Tahlequah resident has toured with Turnpike, as well as Shane Smith and the Castellows. His solo debut album, Bad Reputation, is about evolving and earning a reputation that maybe others perceive as bad.

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Trailer

Introducing Songwriters & Tour Riders

Hear a preview of Songwriters & Tour Riders, as we give you an inside look at musicians coming from Oklahoma and those just passing through. Hosted by Matthew Viriyapah, hear musicians tell stories of recording, touring and living as an artist.

Songwriters & Tour Riders is an Oklahoma music podcast, giving you an inside look at musicians coming from Oklahoma and those just passing through. Join host Matthew Viriyapah as musicians tell stories of recording, touring and living as an artist.